Contrivance: The Nightmare Complex
by Yitani East
Summary: Uryuu has had horrible nightmares since he was a boy and they're getting worse. With the appearance of an old friend and a new threat, Uryuu's dreams may just be the key to finding out the truth about his mother and the Qunicy Genocide. Ichigo/Uryuu Yaoi.
1. Late Night, Early Morning

_HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! _

_I am back in action and I have very high hopes for this year. Well, here we go. My new BETTER fanfiction. There are going to be some sections you've already seen, and some you haven't. This story will be much deeper and darker than the former and it will be SO much better. Names have been changed and I will tell you about name you may not recognize as usual. I hope everyone will find this much better. Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor do I gain any profit whatsoever by writing this._

_Names You May Not Recognize:_

_Senshi Morishitta_

_Meaning: Warrior_

_Role: Godmother to Ichigo and Uryuu. _

_Takeru Morishitta_

_Meaning: Strong (Kanji spells Warrior)_

_Role: Uryuu and Ichigo's godsister but she's thought of as a cousin._

Late Night, Early Morning,

Because Uryuu and Renji are much closer than they'd like to admit.

Uryuu lurched forward in his bed, crying out in waking terror. His thin body quaked, cold sweat trailed down his pale skin. His pupils dilated sensitive even to the full moon shining into his room. His own breath moved so fast in and out of his lungs, scraped at his throat. Swept up by harsh, terror induced nausea, he tumbled out of bed into the bathroom. He barely managed to make it to the toilet before vomiting into the toilet. His body instinctively curled itself into a ball. Screwing his eyes shut, he tried to bar the tears from falling. He was only partially successful. He pulled himself in the corner of his cold, colorless bathroom and found himself rocking as he willed the images out of his mind.

He'd had nightmares since he was a child. His father would tell him to go back to bed and ignore them. Dreams couldn't hurt you. They were only your imagination. _Goddamned liar_. "Imagination" didn't send you running to the toilet at night. The adrenaline slowly stopped it's break neck speed and Uryuu managed to control his breathing before he started hyperventilating. Looking down at his Quincy Cross, he spied a faint, but distinct glow. He cursed softly before smothering it.

Renji felt the burst of reiatsu before it was quickly doused out. He was sent to monitor strange reiatsu readings in Karakura Town, he was beginning to wonder if all the fluctuations were caused by a certain Quincy. Torn between irritation and a sense of duty, Renji took it upon himself to check on said Quincy at two in the morning hoping not to find him clutching the sides of his toilet again. He's seen nightmares before, but Uryuu's dreams were visited by horrors beyond any normal soldier. Exactly what had this kid, this _human_ kid, seen that brought on such fear?

Uryuu had stopped rocking and started chewing his nails to the point of drawing blood, by the time Renji came tapping on his window. He decided to ignore him.

"Let me in. You know I don't really need a door." Renji sighed when he got no answer. "Ishida." He sighed and entered the house anyway, its not like it mattered. "Ishida!" He called...more like demanded...once again.

"What?" He expected nothing less from Ishida. The small bathroom still smelled a little like puke but he didn't comment on it.

"Don't give me that "what" shit you know why I'm here." Renji said leaning irritably on the door.

"Yes, I do and I don't know why you even bother." Ishida said standing to his feet. Now he was shaking for a completely different reason what his apartment provided in space, it lacked in a competent heating system. His knees failed him about half way up, and Renji grabbed him to keep him upright. "Get off me!" Renji would've put up more of a fight if it weren't for the touch of abject terror in the Quincy's voice. He wasn't just being stubborn. It was best not for him to be touched. He was silent as the kid rinsed his mouth out and brushed his teeth just to get the taste out of his mouth. "I'm fine. You can go now."

"You're never fine." Renji countered.

"Get out."

"Ishida..."

"Don't say my name like that." Uryuu said bracing his hands on either side of the sink.

"Like what?" Renji bleated.

"Like..." He sighed miserably. "Forget it."

"You mean like Ichigo?"

"Seriously, Abarai. Get out." Uryuu said trudging to his room wrapping his arms around him. He didn't expect the soft chuckle from the Shinigami's direction. "What now?"

"You just...sound like a friend of mine, that's all." Renji replied vaguely enough to pique Uryuu's curiosity or frustration either way, it bought him some time. "You know why I'm here. Why don't you just let me stay here? You're attracting hollows."

"I can take care of myself." Uryuu snapped.

"It's your "self" I'm worried about." Silence. Abarai was more adept at verbally cornering someone than he seemed. Kuchki-taicho had sharpened his skills even more. In any other circumstance, he would've been happy to finally shut Uryuu up but the kid had a habit of unintentionally making him feel like shit with so much as a look or sigh. "Look, Uryuu..." The latter tensed at the usage of his first name but said nothing. "You're not well. You and I both know that you would be shoved in the corner of your bathroom until morning if I didn't come and check up on you."

"You don't _know_ anything, I've had nightmares ever since I was two." Uryuu interrupted. Renji was at a loss for words as the implication inspired a touch of horror in his gut. Had they been _this bad_ since he was just a toddler? "I will be _fine_." Uryuu insisted going back to his bed. Renji ran a hand through his hair.

"Well...my offer still stands." Renji replied hopefully. He really didn't want to leave Uryuu alone.

"The answer is no." The kid replied, softer this time. He sounded like he'd actually considered it. Renji placed a hand on Uryuu's shoulder, the latter made no attempt to remove him.

"I won't hurt you." Renji said quietly steeping closer.

"I know." Uryuu replied looking up. "But I just...I can't." An uneasy pause. "But...thank you. I know you're only trying to help."

Renji had made this offer to Uryuu when they were first stuck together in the same room after Hueco Mundo. Fourth was overcrowded so people were forced to double up. Imagine, being shacked up with a loudmouth Shinigami while fraught with agonizing worry on account of Ichigo who had fallen quite unconscious. No matter how many times Uryuu insisted that no, he was _not _worried bout Kurosaki, Renji would reply with a "stop that, you totally are!" But it was the second night they were stuck together Uryuu started screaming in the middle of the night. Now, shouting during nightmares was totally normal, but Uryuu _shrieked. _Renji actually had to get on top of him to fully restrain him before he hurt himself. Uryuu tried to insist that he was fine.

He failed. That's all you need to know.

On his hands and knees looming over trembling Uryuu, Renji couldn't help him in any other way but to help him forget. He offered his body, his assistance. Uryuu was shocked but sobered up when he realized he wasn't joking. He told Uryuu that someone had offered him a chance to forget a long time ago. The boundaries of sexual preference were almost nonexistent among the soldiers of a Gotei 13. Sex was no longer that big of a deal...to most people anyway. The offer was strange, but touching. Nevertheless, Uryuu declined citing that he was a virgin. Renji could tell he was lying but he left it alone.

"Good night." Renji said quietly.

"Good bye, Abarai." Uryuu's voice was much softer now. So soft that Renji spared a look back before he made a quick shunpo back into the streets but seeing Uryuu huddled up on his bed trembling like that, he wished he hadn't.

At the Urahara Shouten, Kisuke didn't exactly care that he was up at 2 am. It happened often. Besides, he told _her_ that he'd be awake. He checked the clock. She was late. Ironically the minute the thought crossed his mind, he could hear that tell-tale click, click, click of those three inch heel boots. Funny how a woman of almost fifty could still pull them off.

"Well, well, well..." Urahara said loftily. "If it isn't Morishitta Senshi back from the dead." This earned a scoff from his visitor.

"Cut the dramatics, Kisuke." Senshi replied as she lit a cigarette. "You know good and damn well that being dead has nothing to do with it."

"You're no fun as usual." Urahara replied raising himself to his feet with a decidedly weary sigh. "Let me take this time to offer my condolences." He added in a moment of clarity. "This past year couldn't have been easy for you."

"Thank you." Senshi said quietly taking a long drag on her cigarette.

"How is you daughter?" He asked offering a hand inside.

"She's...coping." Senshi replied distantly. "If that's the way you want to put it. Anyway I didn't come here for polite conversation." Urahara chuckled.

"Of course not, you never do." Senshi took the remark in stride and let it go. "You want information, don't you?"

"You know me too well, Urahara and that's why you piss me off." She replied tartly. "I need the new address of one Ishida Ryuuken." Urahara's fan covered his sly smile.

"Why don't you go down to the hospital? I'm_ sure i_t was in the same place it was when you left." He chuckled.

"Don't make me hurt you."

"Alright, alright...but it'll cost you." Kisuke warned. "Spar with me." Senshi smirked. Something told him that it was the closest she'd get to a smile in a very long time.

"Name your conditions." She replied airily.

"First one on one knee loses." Urahara replied. Senshi took the scarf from her hair and nodded.

"You're on."

An hour later, Ichigo was roused into consciousness rustling downstairs. He grunted and got himself back up to his feet.

"Three o'clock in the damn morning..." he muttered idly. He shuffled into the hallway and down the stairs spotting Renji raiding the fridge. Again. "No need to graze, dumbass. If you bothered to look, Yuzu left you a plate." He groaned. Renji let out a small "oh" before finding the plate covered in saran wrap. "Do you need me to show you how to use the microwave again?" Ichigo asked with a smirk. Renji just flipped him off just getting a derisive chuckle from the other shinigami. "Find what you're looking for so you can stop eating all our food?"

"No." Renji replied taking the plate out of the microwave. It wasn't really warm but at this point, he didn't really care. "But we need to talk. Sit down."

"It's 3 am. I'm going back to bed." Ichigo replied a little sharply.

"It's about Ishida." That was probably the easiest way to get Ichigo to stop in his tracks. Ichigo let out a groan of reluctance before sitting down.

"What about him?" Ichigo asked as if he were threatening him.

"He's uh...not really...right y'know?" Renji said slowly suddenly not quite sure of how to put his words.

"It's too late and/or early to deal with this right now." Ichigo complained.

"Just listen." Renji snapped. "Ishida's in a pretty bad way, don't you guys talk anymore?" Ichigo didn't reply right away. "I get that things have changed between you two since Hueco Mundo, okay? I know it, Rukia knows it. Yasutora knows it. _Inoue_ knows it and I, for one, am getting sick and damn tired of watch you two deny it cause it's really fuckin' obvious. I mean, who in the _hell_ is going to believe what happened at the New Year's Shrine was just an accident?" Ichigo was still quiet. "Just _talk to him_ and maybe he'll stop attracting hollows."

"Attracting..." Ichigo was instantly concerned. Ni surprise there. "What do you mean?" Finished eating, Renji got up and washed his plate knowing full well that sweet little Yuzu could be quite scary when the sink wasn't clean the next morning. "Renji, answer me."

"Why don't you just ask him yourself?" Renji bleated headed towards the stairs. Ashamed to admit that he couldn't face Ishida, Ichigo couldn't argue his point. He changed the subject.

"Oh yeah, I have relatives coming over tomorrow. It's the first time they're visiting since my cousin died. So try to keep your weirdness to a minimum." He said not getting up from he chair.

"Yeah, yeah..." Renji vanished upstairs to the room Kurosaki Family given him. Lying down on the bed that was honestly too small for him, he couldn't get the image of Ishida out of his head. He really, really wished that he hadn't taken that look back.

Back at Urahara's place, Kisuke didn't just drop to one knee but he hit the floor face first before Senshi who hadn't even broken a sweat. He struggled to get to his feet when Senshi stepped forward to give him a hand. He took the assistance in spite of himself.

"You are an evil woman." He said flatly.

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me." Senshi replied. "So. That address?" Urahara sighed dramatically and took her out of the training room to make tea and write down the requested information.

"You've gotten powerful in your old age." Urahara remarked handing her the small slip of paper.

"I have no qualms in beating the shit out of you a second time." Morishitta dared.

"Of course, of course. Who would want to provoke the wrath of a Judge of the nefarious Agency, hm?"

"I'm not a Judge anymore." Senshi replied smirking again. "I'm an Oracle." Urahara nearly spit out his tea all over his visitor's face. "Nice to see that you can still be surprised."

"There's no way in the slightest that they would send an Oracle and no doubt, your daughter, who is a high ranking Grand Judge here just for time off." Urahara trailed off. "You lied to me, didn't you?" He sighed. "I should be angry but I feel you're just giving me a taste of my own medicine so I'll just let it go I suppose."

"As you should." Senshi quipped. "But I lied to you for a reason. I didn't want to discuss things over the phone. It would've been inappropriate." She dug in her pocket and handed him a photo. Urahara scanned it for a moment and his eyes grew wide.

"This is..." He couldn't even finish his sentence. "But I thought she was dead."

"I know. I did too but it could just be a coincidence. Either way, Takeru is on assignment the Gotei 13 while I do some recon." Urahara wrote something else down on the same sheet of paper.

"Then you'll want this too." He said giving her the sheet of paper back.

"What this?"

"Ishida Uryuu's address and phone number." Urahara opened his fan covering that smile of his. "I'm sure the boy will want some answers." Senshi nodded, agreeing with him for once.

"Yeah, she _is_ his mother after all."

The Next Day

Get up. Get dressed. Drink coffee.

Uryuu had been awake since Renji left. He was _not_ afraid to go back to sleep, thank you very much, the adrenaline did not _allow_ him to go back to sleep. So here he was at 6 am watching the morning news curled up in one of his thick blankets. It was going to be cold today and his space heater could only do so much without lighting his apartment on fire. At this point though, he'd probably welcome that. He grabbed his nearest embroidery project, a throw-pillow for Orihime's birthday, and began to work but he found it hard to concentrate. Orihime would be happy with anything he gave her, but he was not going to give her sloppy work just because of that.

He placed the pillow back on top of his desk and tried to get his computer to work right for the second time this week. He still didn't have an internet signal and decided not to bother. No one ever emailed him or posted on his facebook. So why bother? It was around 8 o'clock that he'd had his third cup of coffee and he decided that he needed to do something with his life than stay in his apartment all day.

Grabbing his coat and umbrella, he turned off his space heater knowing he'd pay for it later and left the house. Alone, he walked down the street. Not bothering to say hello to the old woman who always seemed to be watering her decrepit tomato plants. He often wondered if she was in her right mind.

The day was dreary and wet and it was forecast to be so for the entire week. Fantastic. The only sound Uryuu could occupy his ears with was the gentle "splish" of his shoes on the wet pavement. He passed several people he went to school with. None them noticed him. Not that he cared. Touting his umbrella over his head, he strode briefly into the Florist and bought a few cut Peace Lilies. His tired body pushed on toward the cemetery.

Sighing, Uryuu finally admitted to himself that he was having trouble forgetting his and Renji's conversation last night. Perhaps he should've taken him up on his offer, as strange as it was. Maybe sacrificing comfort was better than waking up alone. Uryuu neither confirmed or denied being homosexual but after the shrine, everyone _knew _they just weren't saying anything. The kiss had been accidental...or he wanted it to be...he so, so wanted it to be just as accident.

It wasn't.

It was the fireworks. They were all watching them together. After it took Inoue, Kurosaki and Sado just to convince him just to come along. Kurosaki had something and Ishida turned to ask him to repeat himself. Fireworks were loud after all. Ichigo was...smiling at him. New Year's Day was no time to snark at someone so he smiled back and asked him to repeat himself again but they couldn't hear a word the other was saying. Oddly enough, Uryuu forgot about the fireworks which was odd because they were his favorite part of New Year's Eve. If he looked close enough, he could see the fireworks in Kurosaki's eyes anyway. Uryuu was about tell him to forget it and they'd talk after the display but someone bumped Kurosaki. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was Sado. Either way, Ichigo's lips ended up squarely on his. There was no instant freak out maybe it was the sake they had before leaving the house. Uryuu didn't know how long they kissed but when it was over, Ichigo's arms were around his waist and they were panting growing increasingly aware of want they'd just done. They panicked, made some excuses and bolted.

They hadn't spoken since.

The cemetery provided Uryuu the peace he so desperately needed after last night. He always prided himself on knowing exactly what to do in any situation. He'd never been more confused. Considering the new year was only a few days old, the cemetery was completely empty. At this rate, he figured he should be used to it. Arriving at his grandfather's grave, he spied a wilting bouquet of Peace Lilies just like his. His father paid a visit every New Year's Eve. Unable to light any incense in this rain, he just set the flowers at the grave. He relaxed his body and he left himself be assaulted with the memory of days where it was just him and his grandfather. It was another life. One that was no longer his. He screwed his eyes shut.

_No, I _won't_ cry this year. _

He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone walk up next to him. He jumped when another, dark skinned hand placed another bouquet of flowers at his grandfather's grave. The female's presence gave him pause. Just by standing there, she was issuing quite a relentless wave of reiatsu. Approaching him closer, however, he noticed her distinct attempt to reign it in. She was only partially successful. She too bowed her head and paid her respects before she even addressed him. Dark skinned and taller than him, this girl was a rare sight in Karakura Town, in _Japan_ for that matter. Her black, coarse hair was thrown up into a lazy but complacent bun with three separate hair pieces shaped like chopsticks the center one, which didn't seen to be serving much of a purpose, was far more ornate than the two. Her red coat and scarf would only draw attention, he would think but Sado also had the same problem with those ten-thousand floral shirts of his. With her nearly fathomless violet eyes, she looked over at him with a smirk.

"You have no idea who I am do you?" She asked. Uryuu blinked, nonplussed. Mystery girl chuckled. "I don't blame you. It's been a while since we were six years old." The realization hit Uryuu like a brick to the head.

"Takeru?" His female companion smiled. "God, I didn't even recognize you, I'm so sorry." To his surprise, Takeru hugged him. _Tightly_. He wasn't used to being hugged and certainly not nearly getting his lungs crushed.

"No worries, hon." _Hon? Is that an American expression?_ "I wouldn't have known it was you if I didn't see the cross around your wrist." He froze for a minute. He didn't receive this cross until he was ten. He didn't ask for the moment. They walked slowly out the cemetery together.

"How long will you be in Japan?" Uryuu asked remembering that she was basically a foreigner.

"I'm not sure. Mom and I were here for some important business. We would've come to visit you but I'm sure you remember the agreement our mom and dad made." Takeru said with a roll of her eyes.

_ "You're leaving. Now." Ryuuken declared zipping Senshi's suitcase._

_ "What?" It was a statement of shock and betrayal not a question. _

_ "You heard me. You are getting out of this house and you will no longer speak to my son." Ryuuken stuffed what was left of her clothes into her suitcase. Senshi sniffed the air as he breezed past her._

_ "You're drunk." It was an accusation. A split second of that bone-crushing silence and Senshi snapped. "You are unbelievable. You are a liar and a pathetic excuse for a man! You don't deserve to call yourself a Quincy!"_

_ "How dare you claim to know what it takes to be a Quincy!" Ryuuken shouted. _

_ "I know how be soldier. You threw off that mantle years ago." Senshi spat right back. "Don't you remember? "I renounce the Qunicy name and all of its-" _

_ "Get out."_

"Your sarcasm is palpable." Uryuu remarked. Senshi let out a snorting scoff and agreed. "Well, I no longer live with my father, if that's a problem."

"And what your father doesn't know can't hurt him." Takeru replied lightly. Uryuu stayed quiet about the fact hat his father seemed to know everything that happened to him. Takeru grabbed him by his arm. She had a _monster_ grip. "C'mon, mom would love to see you. You didn't have plans right?" She wasn't giving him a choice.

"No, of course I didn't." Uryuu replied and he let himself be dragged down what he vaguely recognized as the way to the Kurosaki Clinic.

Kurosaki Clinic

Ichigo glared down at his phone. He didn't want to admit that Renji was right. But he _was_ which just made everything _worse_. His finger hovered over the call button when he dialed Uryuu's number for the fifth time. When did he get like this about Ishida of all people. To spend his dreams cuddled up to the boy and only to scare the royal hell out of him because of some accident.

It _was_ an accident...right?

Right?

The doorbell snapped him out of his reverie like a whip crack. He wasn't expecting that.

Takari stood outside of the door with her arms crossed. Not that she wasn't pleased to be here but Takeru was late. She gave her the address the clinic wasn't _that_ hard to find. She decided to give her about ten minutes leeway. If she didn't show then she'd use her aura to bring her here by force if she had to. The door flew open to reveal a blessedly familiar sight.

"Ari-chaaaaaaaan!" Isshin came flying out of the door like a jet liner, arms open and stars in his eyes but after all these years her reflexes were still to much for him. She gabbed one of his fanned out arms and flipped him over her shoulder landing Isshin flat on his back with a hard "thud". Ichigo instantly remembered why he liked his godmother.

"We're over forty! You can't get away with calling me Ari-chan anymore, you dimwit!" Isshin noticed that she'd censored herself for the sake of Karin and Yuzu. If it were like old times she would've said "dipshit" no matter how many kids were in the room. The years had made her a little less vulgar though Ryuuken would probably disagree out of spite. With a disgruntled huff, Takari hefted Isshin off the ground by the collar with both hands. For a minute she looked as if she were going to hit him. Everyone in the doorway held their breaths. Isshin flinched before she could even get a chance to move him. His eyes were still closed when she hugged him tightly. "God, I missed you." She said with a smile. She squeezed him so tightly, she made his back crack. Judging by that absolutely devious look in her eye, it was totally on purpose.

"Agh! Agh! Ari-chan you're crushing me!" Ishhin cried trying to squirm his way out of her grip. She let go and grinned.

"Sorry had to get my eight years worth of hugs in." Daibo-chan said with a laugh. She turned to Yuzu and Karin and the ran to her like they were five all over again. Normally, a hug wasn't exactly a customary greeting in Japan, but being from the west...Takari-bochan didn't seem to care. Eventually neither did they. "Geez, time flies I feel like I missed the cute little girl stage and I've become godmother to two beautiful young ladies." Yuzu was instantly reduced to a blushing giggling mess. Karin just turned away blushing, but flattered all the same, you'd probably have to tickle her within inches of death for her to admit it though. Honestly it was a wonder they remembered her at all they couldn't have been older than five when they last saw her. When she let go of the two, she halted at the sight of Ichigo eying him like a stranger. She pursed her lips. Ichigo instinctively backed up a few paces as she advanced on him tapping her chin. She was messing with him, he knew that much but he couldn't help it.

"Who is this?" She asked poking his stomach. "Rock hard abs...?"She placed a hand on his head and compared her 5'8" to his 5'11". "One inch shy of six feet?" She circled him like a vulture then she poked him in the back. "Posture could use a little work." As he laughed nervously, she abruptly grabbed his chin and examined his face with her scrutinizing gaze. "But handsome enough to keep the girls drooling." She whipped around turned her back on him with her arms crossed. Karin and Yuzu were laughing by now. "Nope. This isn't my godson. I refuse to believe it!" She declared pointing her finger in the air. She turned her faux outrage on Isshin who was almost too busy dying of laughter to hear the joke. "Isshin! My godson was a short little thing! How am I supposed to believe that he grew into this handsome young man in just eight years?" She demanded. Ichigo wasn't used to the flattery. Through he nervous laughter he attempted to be just as lighthearted as she was. Not his forte. He scratched the back of his head trying to come up with something.

"Well, Bo-san...I..." She turned back around smiling warmly.

"Boy, don't sit there and stutter! Hug me!" She demanded. When she embraced him, the memories of all the times she'd come to visit, bearing gifts and stories of monsters and brave priests who came to save the day. If he hadn't known better, she could have given Katsuya Hoshin a run for her money. However, all of that stopped when his mother died. The last time he saw her was a year after her funeral. The way she looked at him, if was as if she were looking at her own son. As he let go of his godmother, he almost asked about the recent death of her son Yashin, it would be inappropriate.

"Lunch's almost ready Takari-bochan." Yuzu said as they all went inside. For a second, Ichigo paused. He looked briefly at his godmother then down at he hands. For a minute, just for a minute, he had sensed an incredible amount of reiatsu.

"Ichi-nii, come on!"

_Yep, that's it. Please review and all that good stuff. Brace yourselves, cause it's gonna be a bumpy ride. A little warning for Mayuri fans: You're not gonna like this story. Just saying. Anyway, look for more most likely every Friday. Don't be surprised if I miss a day, I start culinary school this week so things might get a little tight, but I will finish this. I promise._

_With Love and best wishes for the New Year,_

_East_


	2. Mother

_It's Friday and as promised I bring you the second chapter of my fanfiction. I'm thinking I may or may not have a schedule this time around because my classes are much more demanding this semester. It depends. Anyway, not much to say here, just another chapter. Some warnings this chapter mentions suicide, Takeru's foul language, alcoholism and metal illness._

_Names you may not recognize:_

_Yashin Morishitta_

_Meaning: Ambitious_

_Role: Takeru's brother. Deceased_

Mother:

Because Uryuu has two.

Much of Uryuu's memories about his mother were marred by illness and the smell of alcohol. There was only one instance he could remember clearly. She was slumped over the table, a bottle of foul smelling alcohol sobbing into it as if it were her best friend. As ill as she was, she was not supposed to drink alcohol with her medication but she always smelled like that bottle. She talked to it, held it. Things she never did to him. Holding his faithful companion Kuma-chan, the stuffed bear, he toddled up to his mother pushing her leg.

_"Mommy...are you crying?"_ He asked in a small voice. His mother slowly turned her head toward him with a small, leering smile.

_"No, Uryuu, of course not."_ She stood to her feet. _"Let momma make you something to eat."_ He'd already eaten but she was already gone to drunkenly conjure up one of her sub-par meals. She was a mentally ill woman caring for a physically ill child. She did not hold him, read to him or even smile like a mother should. Cooking him meals was the extent of her affection.

It was Morishitta Senshi who had held him, who he could run to after a bad dream. Never his mother.

"Is Kurotsuchi dead yet?" Takeru's question caught Uryuu completely off guard. They had been walking for a while now, she still hadn't let go of his arm. He was almost afraid to ask her to.

"Wait you..." The shock wouldn't let him get the words out. "How do you know about..."

"Uryuu, c'mon. Mom knew Ryuuken was a Quincy, do you think we didn't know about the Sereitei, too?" Takeru snickered when he continued to stare at her nonplussed. "Sorry I didn't mean to break your brain there, Ikoto-san." Cousin. He forgot she regarded him as such.

"So you see Hollows and spirits?" Uryuu needed to know for elaboration's sake.

"Yup." Takeru replied with a small laugh.

"So...your spiritual pressure..." He didn't get a chance to finish.

"Let's save the explanations for later, huh? It's a pretty lengthy one. Besides I'm sure Ichigo will eventually want one too." The last sentence was supposed to be more to herself than him but he caught it anyway.

"Wait you know Ichigo as well?" There was that sly, knowing smile again. She was enjoying this, he could see it in those deep purple eyes of hers.

"Oh yeah, that's right no one ever told you." Takeru said tugging his down the street no giving him a chance to pause.

"Who never told me what?" Uryuu tried to keep his voice from going any higher than it needed to be. Takeru decided not to be so discreet with her laughing this time as she finally let go of him and strode forward a bit.

"You're still so easy to annoy Uryuu-chan." Takeru teased. Uryuu sputtered.

"Don't call me that." He refused to believe that was whining. Quincies did not _whine_. God, they really sounded like they were six years old again. "Really though, what are you talking about?"

"Jii-san," Soken. "Told you that Ryuuken was once a practicing Quincy, right?" Uryuu nodded. "In high school, mom and Ryuuken and your mother worked alongside two others."

"I can take a wild guess as to who those "others" were." Uryuu said with a light sigh.

"And you'd be exactly right." Takeru said with equal sarcasm.

"I feel horribly uninformed all of the sudden." Uryuu frowned. He never remembered associating with Kurosaki as a child. All he could remember was his reiatsu burning him ever since junior high. Kurosaki seared his blood and skin, fucked with his senses and just drove him generally insane since the age of eleven. The idiot never noticed him until four years later. Four _goddamn_ years later. No one ever noticed him. No one ever listened. Perhaps that's why he ate anything Inoue dared to send his way, listened to any song Sado asked him to lend "new ears" to. Not mention why he was taking crap from a long lost "relative". "So where are we going exactly?" He didn't expect her answer to inspire any feelings of great dread and terror.

"To the Kurosaki Clinic...I could've sworn I already said that..."

It did.

Kurosaki Clinic

The minute Renji made eye contact with Morishitta Senshi, he wanted nothing more than to hit the ground running, bolt, head for the hills, run at a break-neck speed back to the Sereitei and hide somewhere, _anywhere, _this woman couldn't find him. How did Ichigo know this harbinger of doom? How the hell were they even _related_? Renji was quite obviously on the verge of freaking out when Morishitta-dono approached him with a smile.

"This is Abarai Renji, Bo-chan" Yuzu said sweetly. "He's a friend of Ichigo's. He's staying with us while...I can never remember why though..." Morishitta took two steps forward, Renji took three steps back.

"Renji, what the hell's wrong with you?" Ichigo bleated.

"Oh, uh, nothing." _Just that you have the mother of a _demon_ in your house! _"Sorry, uh, you can just call me Renji." He said almost bowing. _No, you shake hands here, this isn't the __Gotei 13_. He offered his hand to shake. Senshi took the shinigami's hand and shook it with a smile.

"Nice to meet you." Senshi said genially enough, but just as she passed him, he spied an absolutely evil smirk crossing her face. "Takeru's running late, she wanted to visit Soken's grave, since she ended up falling asleep right off the plane." She was talking to Isshin but Renji's gigai seized up in fear.

Morishitta Takeru...

Say her name three times in a mirror and she'd put Bloody Mary to shame. She'd rip you up into little pieces and put you in a blender and drink it in front of your children just for shits and giggles. Okay, that was an complete and rather disgusting exaggeration but still that girl was _vicious_. Renji was in a daze as the family sat down to catch up while lunch was in the oven.

"Hey, Renji, where'd you say you were from again?" Senshi asked politely. She was screwing with him, that much obvious. Did Ichigo know what Senshi really was? If she was such a close family friend, wouldn't she have told them what kind of person she was? If she was even a person... "I'm waiting."

"Oh I'm from uh...here..."

"Here meaning...?" Senshi asked for elaboration. Ichigo shot Renji a pleading look. _Please, please don't make this awkward_.

"Oh from the Takayo Apartment Complex..." That was Chad's place, but he had to come up with something. "My neighbor had a stove fire, I'm staying with Ichigo while they get repairs done." Ichigo's palm made firm contact with his face. That was not the excuse they agreed on. If someone hadn't knocked on the door, Renji probably would've just excused himself and left.

Uryuu jumped a little when Takeru knocked on the door like she was about to break it down. She had latched back onto his arm again like she knew he was going to try and make a run for it. She was like vice this girl, nothing could move her. He sent up a brief prayer that Ichigo would not open the door. Maybe if it was Yuzu or Karin he could make an excuse if he got Morishitta to let go of him. Whoever he prayed to didn't listen.

"Oi, Ishida, what're you doing here?" Suddenly he realized he'd been staring at Ichigo's chest for a good two minutes. "Oi. Uryuu!" He snapped his head up at the sound of his first name.

"I don't recall giving you permission to call me by my first name " He replied pushing up his glasses. He didn't make eye contact with him. He glued kept his eyes glued to the floor. He felt Takeru let go of him but he was now rooted to the floor in the shadow of Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Che, like I need your permission for anything..." Ichigo muttered. Their eyes were like wrong facing magnets deflecting each other at every turn.

"Uh, should I give you two a minute?" At the sound of Takeru's attention demanding voice, Ichigo's attention was pulled away from Ishida for a minute to settle on a girl almost as tall if not taller than him, dark skinned wearing a concerned frown.

"Oh, uh...sorry." He said. "Um...who're you?" Suddenly, that sympathetic face vanished and Takeru's left eyebrow rose slowly. Who would've thought that an eyebrow could be so intimidating? Uryuu actually took a few steps back but Ichigo's eye went wide.

_Oh shit._

He nearly went mad from he revelation but before he could react or defend himself, Takeru knocked him off his feet.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! Do you mean to tell me that you don't remember me? Maybe if I hit a few more times will that jog your memory! Maybe if I put you in a choke hold you'll remember then huh?" Takeru shouted drilling the end of her knuckle into the side of Ichigo's head. Uryuu watched nonplussed.

"Cut it out!" Ichigo said attempting to crawl away from her. With an absolutely wicked glint in her eye, Takeru dragged Ichigo back and wrenched his arm up sharply.

"Not until you apologize!" Takeru declared devilishly grabbing Ichigo who was _supposed_ to have battle-honed reflexes and wrapping her right arm around his neck. "Apologize!"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry! Stop strangling me!" Obviously if Ichigo could still speak, she wasn't even wrapped that tightly around his neck. Takeru released him. There was a moment of long silence as Ichigo caught his breath and Takeru grimaced crossing her arms. A few seconds and Ichigo smirked up at his long lost god-sister. Takeru just couldn't keep a straight face and she dissolved into a fit of giggles Ichigo followed. "God, Takeru, you're like a tank you barely gave me any room to resist!"

"Says you! I can barely get your arm around your back anymore, you idiot!" Takeru said with hefting Ichigo up to his feet with _one hand_ and hugging him. It was minutes after that the two realized Uryuu was still standing there eyes wide and glasses askew.

"I think we broke Ishida." Ichigo said with a quiet laugh. He waved his hand in front of Uryuu's face. "Oi Ishida!" Uryuu snapped out of his daze.

"I hear you, Kurosaki I'm not deaf!" He quipped pushing Ichigo's hand out of his face. "And now that Morishitta-san is where she needs to be," Ichigo felt an odd twinge in his heart but said nothing, "I'll be going now. Goodbye." Uryuu turned on his heel to leave fast enough so Takeru couldn't take him and drag him inside. He got two steps down the walkway before a distantly familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Uryuu?" He turned to see his godmother standing in the doorway gazing at him like she'd just seen some miraculous sight. She clapped her hands over her mouth in joy. Before Uryuu could even take a step back, Senshi was on him in a second wrapping him in a back breaking hug. "Oh my god, you've grown so tall!" She squealed happily. "Step back, let me look at you." He did so but couldn't help but feel oh-so-awkward while doing it. "Holy shit, boy, you are something else. You haven't changed a bit but you look like a completely different person." She hugged him again. What was it with the Morishitta women and hugging? People didn't hug as a platonic greeting in his family nor did the majority of Japan for that matter.

Yet, it was the second, slower embrace that inspired floods of memories of a woman who smiled even though she'd been heartbroken. He remembered her stories, her laughter, the midnight shopping trips for sick children and hollering arguments about the state of the house. Apparently, his father had something against mopping. He could recall everything down to the home cooked meals and Japanese dubbed Disney movies but most of all, he remembered her embrace, a simple and silent show of affection that filled him with warmth he rarely experienced since the day his grandfather was killed. He never truly knew his biological mother because this woman right here with her arms crushing him, was his real mother.

Ichigo couldn't help but gasp a little in shock he saw Uryuu's eyes fill with tears just as the latter buried his face in the crook of his Bo-san's neck. He actually clung to her. Uryuu and emotion didn't exactly get along. Nevertheless, he was glad they were was tears of joy. He slipped inside and let them have their moment. With Bo-san acting as a buffer, maybe this wouldn't be so awkward after all. Looking around the room, he noticed that Takeru who had already said her hellos to the rest of the family and Renji weren't downstairs. He thought nothing of it.

Perhaps he should have.

Renji forced a cry of pain down his throat when Takeru slammed him against the wall of the upstairs hallway. He was lucky he even gave him and chance to defend himself. Was it possible that age had made her even more aggressive? Glancing at those blazing violet eyes, Renji would have to say "yes". This was not the girl Ichigo greeted at the front door. That girl was just a fabrication. Renji knew the real Takeru Morishitta, the one the shinigami called "Shi no Tenshi" meaning The Angel of Death. He had only known the girl at the age of twelve. Her mission was simple, she was to join a squad of her mother's choosing to assist with recon in the Precipice World. The mission started smoothly but ended with Morishitta emerging from the Senkaimon with four others including himself covered in blood wearing an expression that no twelve year old kid should wear. She tossed Ichimaru-taicho a dismembered limb. The phrase_"I took care of it."_ had never been so terrifying.

"Why are you here?" Takeru demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I'm on assignment." Renji bleated. That wasn't the answer she was looking for.

"What business do you have with a family like the Kurosakis?" She knew they all saw spirits. To her, there was only one reason a shinigami would be with a living world family that just happened to be the offspring of a former Shinigami captain and former Substitute shinigami. She had come to Karakura Town to visit with family before going on her allotted mission, she wasn't expecting to find a shinigami already here.

"I should ask you the same question." Renji spat back. Her grip on his collar tightened and his feet slowly lost contact with the floor beneath them. There was that look again. That look of someone who'd done terrible things and wasn't afraid to do them again. "Do they know what you are?"

"No but _you_ do and you know what I'm capable of. So answer the damn question." She answered him truthfully so Renji was obligated to oblige.

"Nothing. Ichigo knows I'm shinigami, he let's me crash here when I go on a mission." Takeru gave him one final glare before letting him go. He let out a small sigh of relief when his feet touched the ground. "I didn't think it was possible for you to become even more aggressive."

"_No one_ fucks with my family." Takeru said dangerously. "Not even the Gotei 13." Renji firmly believed that she could even go toe-to-toe with Yamamoto if she wanted.

"How do you even know them?" Renji asked. Takeru just shrugged with her trademark smirk. Couldn't she just _smile?_

"Isshin-Oji," Uncle Isshin. "and mom knew each other in high school." She replied tartly. Renji couldn't totally suppress his laugh of disbelief.

"Ikoto-san! Abarai-san! Dinner's ready!" Yuzu called from downstairs. Takeru just chuckled and turned to go downstairs.

"Hey I got one more question." Renji said. Takeru rolled her eyes but she stopped just for a moment looking back at Renji with that smirk again. "Where the hell were you guys when we fought Aizen?" Takeru's smirk instantly vanished.

"None your damn business, that's where." She bitched. She joined the family downstairs.

Uryuu wasn't sure how Senshi convinced him to come in and eat dinner but here he was sitting next to Karin and gazing down at the first home cooked meal he'd had in almost two weeks. Not that he couldn't afford food, but Orihime's meals couldn't exactly be counted as such since Shaved Ice was _not_ food especially not in the winter months.

Dinner was normal enough. Everyone seemed polite. Renji looked a little pale though. The conversation was light, jovial and routine with old friends who were basically relatives catching up with each other and being generally friendly. The elders at the tables talked like brother and sister. The youngest, even Renji, seemed to be swept up in the conversation. Everything was normal.

That was the problem.

Since when anything _normal_ happen to them?

Much to Yuzu's dismay, Senshi volunteered to do the dishes. Despite Yuzu's fear of the dishes being improperly arranged in the dishwasher, her godmother gave her little to know room to object. Ishida joined her in the kitchen claiming it was the least he could do. Only Ichigo could tell that he had some ulterior motive.

"Morishitta-san?" He asked running a sink full of dish water.

"So formal." Senshi said with a frown. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" _Sweetheart? _Unlike "hon", that was an affectionate American term he was familiar with. He turned to the sink placing the dishes in one by one. Everyone started watching tv so it was unlikely they'd hear anything being said. Still, Uryuu spoke quietly.

"You...knew my mother before she was ill, right?" He asked hesitantly, not looking up at her.

"Yeah, I knew her since age fifteen." Senshi replied. "We went to high school together."

"High school was just a facade...wasn't it?" Uryuu didn't want to interrogate the woman but he prided himself on analysis. He _had_ to know. Senshi chuckled.

"Yes, it was." That motherly looked landed on him once more. "You're were always such a smart kid. What do you want to know?"

"What...are you exactly?" Ishida bit his lip, knowing how awful the question must have sounded, but he couldn't think of any other way to phrase it. Senshi didn't take offense.

"They call us Clerics." She replied with a smile. "Quincies and the Shinigami keep the balance between Life and Death. Clerics ensure the balance between reality and time. We live in the Inbetween, we call it the Agency. I don't really know why..." She used a few cups as an example. "You see when choices are made, different realities are created." Uryuu opened his mouth to say something. "Don't try to count it, the number is far beyond comprehension. No one knows, they're constantly spawning and dying." He promptly shut it. "We just keep them them from bleeding into each other. Of course, being so many, they do so all the time creating ugly monsters. We call them Disruptions, but they're pretty much our Hollows."

"What keeps our reality from dying?"

"That's classified, but I can tell you that this reality is one of the many very special ones." Uryuu opened his mouth to speak again. "I can't tell you why." Uryuu sighed in defeat. It would probably be best not to fight a denizen that lived beyond time and space. So he asked another.

"How do you become a Cleric?" To his surprise Senshi shrugged.

"No one really knows." She replied. "I have no memory how I got to the Agency but I know that I would've died if they hadn't taken me in." She gave Uryuu a minute to absorb all the information.

"What about Yashin and Takeru?" Uryuu asked.

"You really are too curious for your own good, you know that?" Senshi asked with a laugh. "Takeru was...well she was a special case. Yashin was given to me when he became a behavioral problem." The immense sorrow that flashed in her eyes did not go unnoticed. He knew that look, the very eyes he saw when she was forced to leave him. His heart sunk low into his stomach thinking of the quiet young man who always seemed to be reading something, unconcerned with the world around him. Takeru loved her big brother regardless and Senshi showered him with praise for his intelligence. The mention of him brought on sorrow that only the loss of a loved one could spawn.

"Yashin is gone, isn't he?" Uryuu asked sadly. Senshi nodded.

"Yes. He died." Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact. Uryuu had a feeling that she would not allow anymore on the subject so he offered his condolences and scrambled for a subject change. Senshi beat him to it. "How's your father?" Uryuu shrugged.

"We don't really speak anymore." Senshi groaned. She'd seen this coming ever since Ryuuken's wife passed away. With the dishes done, Uryuu leaned on the counter looking back at his godmother who was muttering irritably in English mostly about his father. "Do you..." Senshi gave him her attention again. "Ah...nevermind."

"No, no...tell me." She sounded kind and sweet but her eyes said "_you'd better_".

Ichigo briefly glanced into the kitchen from his place of the couch. Senshi had Uryuu by the shoulders. They were talking far too quietly for him to hear though if he could, he'd be eavesdropping. The Soul King only knows what Uryuu would do to him if he knew he was staring at him but the Quincy looked so vulnerable. Had he ever seen Uryuu look like that? Even lying on the ground stabbed through the stomach, he was still proud and smirking. Now he saw Renji was talking about. Hunched over and glancing down at the ground looking as if he may vanish at any moment, Uryuu truly looked ill.

"Do you think he distances himself from me because of my resemblance to my mother?" It was quite obvious that Senshi was not expecting that question and she scrambled to come up with a response.

"Uryuu...what do you know about your mother?" She asked incredulously. Uryuu thought for a minute.

"Well I only know what Sensei told me. My mother and father weren't married when I was conceived. He married her because her parents asked him to." Senshi nodded. "But she'd developed a mental illness and was unfit to even take care of herself. She was institutionalized but she had to be restrained one day and she panicked. She went into cardiac arrest and died in the hospital." Senshi took a moment and nodded.

"What do you _believe_ happened?" Senshi asked. Ishida let out another one of those bone-breaking sighs.

"I believe Sensei was just trying to spare my feelings." Uryuu replied. If a patient died because of an error of the staff, it would've been all over the news or at least his father would've sued the facility. A long uncertain pause followed. Uryuu was about to confirm something he'd suspected since age twelve. "She killed herself, didn't she?" Senshi couldn't bring herself to reply and she simply just nodded.

Ichigo was still watching from the corner of his eye, he almost felt as if he were spying. Whatever Daibo-chan had said broke Uryuu just a bit more. His shoulders sagged an inch further. There was no verbal exchange for a moment but Senshi placed a hand on Uryuu's shoulder. She got little to no response from him until he abruptly lifted his head.

"Was her illness hereditary?" Her head snapped back up at the question.

"What?"

"Some mental disorders can be passed down to..."

"Sweetheart, I know what hereditary means." She said patting his shoulder. "But why ask? Are you worried?"

"Well...I've...been having these nightmares...and..." He was cut off by the familiar roar of the Hollow. The spiritual pressure came suddenly and from all over town. All at once groups of Hollows were manifesting around Karakura Town. Ichigo Substitute Shinigami badge screamed in warning. Baffled but ready for battle, Ichigo and Renji jumped to their feet first. But when Takeru stood to follow them out, Ichigo gazed at his godsister, bewildered. He froze shocked beyond words.

"Takeru...you..." He didn't have time to ask.

"What're you standing there for Kurosaki? Let's go!" Uryuu shouted. He humbly thanked Yuzu for lunch and promptly blazed out of the door with Renji and Takeru hot on his tail. The initial shock faded in the wake of impending battle and Ichigo raced out the door to the sound of Yuzu's dismayed "Ichi-nii not you too!"

Gazing at Takeru's back, he swore to get some answers.

_Look for the next chapter. Soon. Like I said I'm not planning to follow a particular schedule but look for my stuff on Fridays or Thursdays. Please review and have a good day!_

_With Love, _

_East._


	3. Children

_Hello, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for not posting sooner. A dear family member is very ill and between making arrangements for her and school, I haven't felt like writing, but I'm still around I promise. I will probably be posting once every two weeks but Like I said before, I can't promise anything. Thank you or sticking with me._

_Names you may not recognize:_

_Name: Shishou_

_Meaning: Master_

_Name: Monai-Ningyo_

_Meaning: Lifeless Doll_

_Name: Zankoku_

_Meaning: Wild Man (loosely translated)_

_Name: Haji and Yuwaka Fukusei_

_Meaning: Shame and Seduction respectively/ Last name: Duplicate_

_Name: Hatsuteki_

_Meaning: Explosion (loosely translated)_

_Name: Sakujo_

_Meaning: Delete_

_Name: Hitsume_

_Meaning: None._

_Long list. My apologies._

Children:

Ichigo remembered his godsister as an aggressive but friendly little girl. She didn't really get along with other children. However, if they knew Ichigo her entire countenance would change and she'd suddenly treat them like friends. She didn't seem to have much care for manners and decorum. At first, he wasn't sure whether or not it was because she was a kid or she just didn't care and seeing her after eight years, he'd decided on the latter. She'd got louder and stranger. He clearly remembered her seeing spirits but fighting Hollows? Never. Her knowing Ishida was easier to believe than her striking down Hollows.

Due to the initial rush of adrenaline, Ichigo and Renji hadn't really thought ahead and were forced to leave their respective bodies at Ishida's place. One can imagine that Uryuu wasn't too happy about that. Takeru wasn't shocked by any of this. In fact, she didn't even seem to care.

She urged the bickering group of boys out of the apartment. Renji listened immediately. Looking a at the sky, she assessed the situation whilst Ichigo and Renji felt no problem just diving in. As if on cue, Takeru grabbed them both with one hand was to Uryuu's surprise was able to hold them in place. "Hang on." She demanded. She pointed up at the sky where Hollow after Hollow passed over the overcast afternoon sky. "None of them have attacked yet, don't give us away."

"They're all headed..." Uryuu swallowed with mild but contained horror. "To the park." The day may have been cold and rainy but that never kept people or spirits from going there everyday especially in the afternoon. Takeru nodded.

"Let's go." Ichigo and Renji used Shunpo without thinking. Ishida used Hirenkyaku as expected but Ichigo was surprised yet again by Takeru who kept up easily. She noticed Ichigo staring.

"It's called Dhvana." She stated simply. "I know you want answers but now's not the time. Focus." He didn't remember Takeru eyes ever looking so hard and commanding. Her voice had never given him chills until now. She could give Unohana a run for her money if she really tried. He shuddered at the thought.

Arriving at the park, they found that there were, thankfully, very few people. Most of them were already vacating because of the harsh "winds" approaching. Looking back up at the sky, the sight itself was rather daunting. There had to be hundreds of Hollows racing toward the very spot they were standing. Uryuu couldn't help but think that this all looked vaguely familiar. Ichigo landed a glare back to the Quincy's head recalling the battle they had the day they met.

"Ishida! Ichigo! Abarai-kun!" It was by pure chance that Chad and Orihime had been in the same convenience store when the Hollows appeared. They didn't even notice Takeru until she spoke. Orihime and Chad came running in from the direction Ichigo indicated. Orihime had to catch her breath for a minute. Chad didn't.

"They haven't attacked yet?" Chad asked looking at the cloud of approaching hollows. Waiting was the worst part at least during battle you had some kind of objective.

"No, but they're coming at us as an alarming rate." Uryuu replied.

"Do you guys have any idea of what they could be looking for?" Takeru asked Orihime and Chad. They hadn't even noticed she was there. "Oh sorry, I'm Takeru...uh I mean Morishitta Takeru." The roar of the hollows came closer. "And we just ran out of time for conversation." The five got into and impromptu battle formation with their healer Inoue in the center. The Hollows landed en masse around them. One of them made himself known, his pale, faceless mask ripping a mouth hole into existence.

"MOVE!" He didn't sound like your average hollow, but before Uryuu could think about saying anything in response, Renji and Ichigo dove right in. _Idiots_.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" At least they were low level Hollows. They barely even got a chance to fight back.

"Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo dashed forward just cutting everything in his path. This was starting to get increasingly familiar though he doubted that Uryuu would appreciate the nostalgia as much as he did.

Chad didn't know who the new girl was but found himself back to back with her. Which was weird...had he ever met a girl this tall...at his age? Was this the "relative" Ichigo talked about yesterday? If it weren't for the battle, he'd find himself staring slack jawed. This girl was a force to be reckoned with. Sure he'd been breaking hollow masks with his fists for four years now, seeing a girl do it was incredible. Ichigo's godsister had grace that only a female soldier could be capable of when shattering a solid objects with the back of her heel.

No matter how attractive she was, there was a bigger issue at hand. Why were there so many Hollows? What were they looking for? Of course, as these things go, there was no little to no room to ask questions but that didn't keep any of them from wondering.

Many of these hollows were weak enough for Orihime to cut with Tsubaki's attack and she did what she could to help. She thought the shaking in the ground was from the combined reiatsu ripping around the park. The girl she assumed was Ichigo's relative was certainly overwhelming. She wasn't aware that the ground below her was actually breaking and giving way beneath her feet. She heard everyone shout for her before she felt herself falling.

Whilst everyone was fighting, the ground had crumbled beneath her feet. Eight black insect-like arms exploded from the ground scraping at the it, grabbing and sucking in anything it could get it's hands on. A large ring of razor sharp blades surrounded her swirling clockwise as to trap her and destroy the remaining ground to pull her in.

Those weren't blades...they were teeth.

"Orihime!" Uryuu was quite protective of Inoue. They all were but that was the first and probably the only time he had ever crossed the line and called her by her first name until now. He didn't notice and no one cared as he, Chad and Ichigo nearly dived into the massive hole just before she fell. Chad's hands was the last to reach her. He failed. They may have lost her for good if it weren't for Takeru who threaded her fingers together. Her aura, made of silver reiatsu, suddenly became visible. She choose three weak but large hollows.

"By decree of Grand Judge Morishitta I sentence you three to a work order!" A large black "X" appeared across each their masks. Their slouching forms went completely rigid. "Retrieve that girl now!" With the same speed and voracity they used in their attacks against them, they dove in after Orihime. Ichigo bolted over to Takeru, reaching after her.

"Takeru, what're you...?"

"Don't touch her!" Renji shouted on reflex. "She needs to concentrate!" Ichigo whipped around to Renji but never got a chance to ask anything. Only one of the hollows returned. Luckily this one just happened to be holding a now unconscious Orihime. Figuring the spell was only temporary, Uryuu had the foresight to destroy the hollow the minute before they retrieved Orihime from the thing's arms. The girl was covered in Hollow Blood and had a nasty gash on the side of her head but she was otherwise unharmed.

The nameless beast let out a shrieking roar and planted it legs into the ground. With a loud, groaning cry, it lifted its bloated, horrendous body out of it hole. It rampaged through the park, consuming Hollows. They couldn't move Inoue too suddenly because of her head wound but they were more than equipped to defend themselves.

Or so they thought.

Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho gave the giant thing little more than a papercut. Chad's El Directo was a bit more effective only because of the brute force behind it. Gritting her teeth, Takeru's hand raced up her sleeve but before she could do anything else, Renji stopped her.

"Not here."

Summoning Ginrei Kojaku, Uryuu launched a full salvo of arrows from a high vantage point but he didn't see Renji until he was airborne and didn't have enough time to rush to his aid."Abarai! Look out!" Penned in by debris, Renji couldn't move fast enough regardless of whether or not he used Shunpo. It would be impossible for him to completely defend himself even if he was able to achieve bankai. He was trapped.

That couldn't have been a coincidence.

Kurosaki Clinic

A few minutes after the kids left, Senshi stepped outside claiming that it would be rude to smoke inside someone else's house no matter how many times Isshin insisted that she just use the ash tray. It wasn't until he saw her gazing off in the direction of Karakura Park, it occurred to the former Shinigami that what was actually out to there to keep tabs on her daughter's reiatsu. He left Karin and Yuzu to their tv shows and casually strode outside to join her.

_We failed her, Masaki..._Isshin thought despairingly taking in the sight of his old friend with a sad frown. Her hair, though tightly braided, was quickly going gray. He had said that her eyes were such a piercing green that she could burn holes in you just by staring. That piercing green he'd come to grow so fond of had been faded by tears, nicotine and copious amounts of alcohol. Not even a woman unaffected by time could avoid death.

"I'm not going to lie..." Isshin said with a sigh. "It hurts to see you smoke again." Senshi just sighed. That was to be expected. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she started crying or something.

"Yeah. At least I'm sober." Senshi said with no real spite or motivation.

"You're not coping well." Isshin replied.

"You think?" Senshi replied in a snippy tone.

"How is Takeru?" Isshin continued asking. Senshi just shook her head.

"She's barely looked me in the eye since. We barely even talk." She said rubbing her brow with a touch of anxiety.

"Was she the one who killed him?" Senshi shook her her head.

"But she defeated him and she dragged him, kicking and screaming to the Executioner's Block." Isshin winced trying to imagine such a thing. A girl his son's age dragging someone she knew as a beloved sibling to the gallows not only to have him killed but wiped from existence. "They destroyed everything, his bed, his pictures..._his body_. We didn't even get to bury him." Senshi burned through the cigarette with a vengeance. "They _used_ her. They knew he'd listen to her. They knew she would have to be the one to take him. She knew the whole time, she knew how cruel he was..."

"What happened?" Isshin asked placing a hand on her shoulder. Senshi sighed and took out another cigarette.

"For lack of better word, he caused civil war." She replied. "I always told him how smart he was. He was a cold boy but I didn't want to believe that he could be capable of so much...cruelty...all in the name of so called science." Isshin shuddered thinking how eerily similar those words were to Kurotsuchi's.

"If I had the words, I would say something, anything to make you feel better." Isshin muttered in a soft, almost pleading voice. "But..." Senshi looked back and smiled a little. She nudged him.

"It's the thought that counts." She said quietly. She scooted a little closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder like a little sister to her older brother. Isshin wrapped an arm around her shoulders. If there was anything he could do for her, he would without hesitation. They both suddenly tensed at the unusual spike in reiatsu.

"I haven't felt that in ages..." Isshin muttered, his hair standing on end. Senshi lifted her head.

"That's a Disruption." She sounded shocked, which only served to puzzle Isshin further.

"Isn't that why you came?" He asked.

"No...no I just came to..." She was cut off by the feeling of Renji's reiatsu plummet. "Something's not right." No sooner than she'd spoken those words, she was proven exactly right. Isshin vaguely began to worry about the mental health of anyone who could see ghosts around town as a spectacular blast of what appeared to be lightning exploded above the trees.

"Senshi, was that...?" He didn't get a chance to ask, she was already half way down the street.

Karakura Park

"What was that? What did you just do?" Ichigo knew that this wasn't the best time for an interrogation but he asked before he could stop himself. The worm wasn't just dead, it was fried. Hollow guts poured from the holes that were burnt into it. It wasn't dissolving like a Hollow. This thing was _not_ made of reishi.

"It's called a Death Sentence weren't you listening?" Takeru said having collapsed to her knees after unleashing such an attack. She had _screamed_ that attack, it just _sounded_ like a last resort. She wasn't to tired to snip at him at least.

They were all badly damaged. Chad was the most fit of them all being fortunate enough to avoid an internal organs. Still that stab wound in his back had to be dealt with before it became a problem. Orihime was still unconscious. After a brief assessment Uryuu had come to the conclusion that his arm was now broken in two different places. Ichigo was bleeding from everywhere as usual, he vaguely wondered if it even bothered him anymore. Their main concern was Renji, who had all been torn to shreds. Chad removed his shirt and pressed it to Renji's largest wound in order to stem the worst of the bleeding. With Inoue unconscious, there was no way to keep him out of immediate danger of bleeding out.

"That didn't just happen." Takeru said more to herself than anyone else.

"That thing came here with a strategy. It separated us and went for the Shinigami first." Uryuu said cradling his broken arm. He bent down to Renji who was still conscious.

"Do you know what that was?" Ichigo asked Takeru though he never took his eyes from the way Renji grabbed Uryuu hand to cope with the pain.

"We call it a Disruption but...I've never seen one Eat hollows and they sure as hell aren't that smart." Takeru said shaking her head she went for her phone to call her mother for assistance but found that she had come to her with Uncle Isshin trailing behind, probably more out of obligation that anything else.

"What happened?" Senshi pressed both Ichigo and Takeru as she gazed up at the massive carcass of the worm. She didn't seem at all surprised that Ichigo wore a shihakusho. While Takeru explained everything, Ichigo cast another concerned glance down at Renji. For Uryuu to express so much concern, his wounds must've been severe. He bent down and lifted Orihime into his arms, bridal style.

"We need to get them to Urahara's." Ichigo said, not caring it he was interrupting. Bo-chan just turned away and began talking on her phone.

"Bad idea." Takeru said quickly shutting him down. Ichigo sputtered and Takeru stopped him so she could explain herself. "If you know what Renji is, you should also know that everytime one of his shinigami are injured on your watch, you're going to get punished for it or at the very least scolded. We need to take him to the Sereitei for your sake."

"How are we going to do that?" Uryuu asked urgency growing in his voice. Senshi didn't reply she merely held up a hand whilst she finished talking on her phone. Seconds later, a Senkaimon appeared before them opening to reveal one Kuchiki Byakuya holding a lantern with a Hell Butterfly flying above his head.

"Get him inside Fourth Squad is already waiting."

Elsewhere...

Sakujo fell to her hands and knees in supplication. All of the apologies in the world could not keep up this mess. Behind her was a large screen fit to cover the entire wall, displaying the battle that had just taken place. The hollow eating Disruptions weren't ready to be sent outside of the lab. They were genetically engineered to be stronger and smarter than the originals...that was until Sakujo had sent one into the Living World after being told specifically not to touch anything.

"Please, forgive me. I was only trying to rectify a simple mistake!" Her loud, crazed apologies drowned out the devious giggling of the two who had conspired against her. They stood in the back of the room, only lit by the large screen, and watched hoping to get a taste of Sakujo's impending punishment. They burst into full-blown laughter when Sakujo's fervent apologies were met with a foot to the face, then the side then her stomach followed up by a few to various other parts of her body.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" The second in command, Zankoku, screamed in rage.

"Zankoku-san, there's no need to punish her without the..." A soft voice slurred by alcohol consumption

"What?" The wild man Zankoku stopped in mid-kick. "You gonna take the blame for your little fuck-buddy? Do you want to face Shishou _all by yourself_?" Hatsuteki shrank back muttering some half-hearted retort. All but Sakujo and one other laughed in the shadow of the man's dismay. The other, Hitsume, stood in the back of the room silent not wishing to take part in humiliating the horribly inept woman and her cowardly, drunken male companion. She leaned against the wall resigning herself to spectating. She sighed lethargically as the doors were thrown open. Everyone but her immediately snapped into attention as Shishou drifted into the room as if she could float.

"Zankoku, I wish you would wait for me before you begin administering punishment." Shishou didn't so much as speak as make her voice fill the entire room. Even her sighs seemed to create a breeze. Zankoku stood back from bloody Sakujo as Shishou's hard, clicking footsteps echoed through the room. The tall, lithe woman wearing nothing more than a simple, modest black dress with a pair of matching heels, strode up to Sakujo followed by a cloaked figured who she called her "doll" Monai-Ningyo. Not a day went by that Zankoku didn't seethe with jealousy every minute he saw that creature with _his_ Shishou. The savage man bowed to her.

"Forgive me, Shishou-sama." The master held out her hand and kissed it over and over showering her with affection until she pulled her hand away and caressed his cheek lovingly.

"But thank you for showing initiative, dearest." Her body filled with quiet rage as she gazed down at Sakujo who was no more than a woman bereft of her dignity nearly pissing her herself and sobbing apologies. When Shishou let her fervent kowtowing finish, Sakujo looked up hopeful for forgiveness. Her hopes were effectively dashed with a hard, unforgiving smack to the face. Shishou nodded to Monai-Ningyo. The remotely male creature reached out his clawed hand and grabbed a fistful of Sakujo's hair dragging her out of the room screaming once more. No amount of apology could make up for this grievous oversight. "Hatsuteki." Shishou called without turning to bestow her icy blue gaze on the man, "Why don't you run off to Sakujo's room? Surely, she'd need some comfort after her punishment is administered." In a flash, Hatsuteki was gone.

"What now?" The twins asked still giggling amongst themselves.

"We have no choice but to advance to stage two of our plan and change targets." Hitsume tensed but said nothing.

"Already?" The male twin, Haji, bleated. Shishou smirked and nodded.

"With the Hollow-Eaters exposed, we can't give the Sereitei time to amass a defense, especially after one of their own has been injured. We've stored enough reishi, to create just enough Hollow-Eaters to destroy the Gotei 13 or at the very least cripple them." She raised a hand towards the wall-wide screen and the image changed to view the damage done to Karakura Park. "Ishida Ryuuken is no longer our target. I've found a far more...accessible one." The image zoomed in to the face of Ishida Uryuu insisting on helping Abarai even with his broken arm. Hitsume struggled to stifle a gasp. _No...not the Quincy boy..._Everyone else in the room gazed at the boy in wonderment and confusion.

"Shishou-sama...he looks so much like you..." The female twin, Yuwaka, said in total awe. This boy was looked just like their Shishou, he was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Shishou stared at the screen a long smirk splitting her face. With any luck, all of her old "friends" still thought she killed herself. This boy didn't even know she was alive. Imagine, the child she didn't even want could finally make himself useful.

"I know." She said lightly. "He's my son."

_Please review as always, I will post within the next few weeks, but no promises. Thank for reading. _

_With love,_

_East_


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